Leanna Ferguson is a full-time student at Appalachian State University, the president of AMA (American Marketing Assn.), on the Beans 2 Brew Team and Marketing Committee, involved in Women of Walker, a Leader of the Boone Rising Tide Society Chapter, owner of the cutest six month old beagle/blue-heeler puppy named Dixon, and most importantly, the owner and creator of Pep & Pop.
Pep & Pop is a home décor and hand lettering business with a hint of southern charm. Some of the wooden home décor that Leanna creates includes items such as signs and furniture. The hand lettering portion of the business is mostly used towards weddings and other events. She often does pop-up shops in and around Boone, particularly around the holidays, and even offers hand lettering classes every now and then.
Leanna expressed that her favorite part about her business is the creating part. She loves to go to her workshop and dive into painting, sanding, and cutting wood. “It’s like my escape from the real world and school work. I also love having a vision in my head, creating it, and seeing it come to life,” she said.
Leanna has always had a passion for creating things and working with her hands. As a senior in high school, she started a cooler painting business because it seemed to be really popular among college students. She soon realized that college students weren’t going to pay for something that they could do themselves. Once she came home after the summer of her first year at college, she started working with wood, and the beginning of the business took off from there.
The unique name of “Pep & Pop” holds a lot of meaning behind it. Leanna grew up spending the summers with her great grandparents. Their names were Pearl Elizabeth and William Roy, also known as “Nanny & Poppy.” The “PEP” in Pep & Pop stands for Pearl Elizabeth Parlier and “POP” is short for Poppy. Leanna’s great grandparents are where she gets her inspiration and motivation from. “I strive daily to work my hardest at making them proud while they look down on me from above,” said Leanna.
Leanna also draws inspiration from the notorious Chip and Joanna Gaines from HGTV’s show Fixer Upper. Even though they have faced many trials in the past and are overwhelmed with fame, they remain to give the glory to God. On top of all that, they continue to be devoted to spending time with their family and living as much of a simplified life as possible.
Although having a business may seem like all fun and games at times, “creating a business is not for the faint of heart,” said Leanna. There is a lot of work that goes into a business, way more than a 40 hour work week. However, if you have the passion and skill, then it’s not hard to make a plan and get a business license. Leanna said that the hardest part comes along when you’re trying to grow your business and you keep facing obstacles and failures. Your business may not always make a specific product or offer a certain service that everyone is going to need or buy. There are also a lot of late nights and coffee that comes with owning your own business.
So, for the young women who also aspire to start their own business, Leanna suggests that you pray about it. Even though that may not always be the “politically correct” answer, it takes a special person to be an entrepreneur. You have to take your talents and apply them in order to form a business. If you do feel led to do so, find other business owners you can confide in and always take advantage of a learning opportunity.
In relations to the future of the Pep & Pop business, Leanna would love to one day have a brick and mortar storefront that also has a small coffee shop and bakery. As of right now, she just simply wants the business to keep growing.
For any business entrepreneurs out there, Leanna would love to grab a coffee or lunch with you and talk more about it!